"master" dave

this is what his mimi (my mom) calls him. dave (and his fur) have been in my life for almost 9 years (the exact date of his adoption was 2/6/01). he was already a "young adult" when i found him at the williamson co. animal shelter, so that makes him somewhere near the ripe old age of 11 or 12. he's not quite as frisky as he used to be but you'd never know he's been kickin' it around this earth for that long. he is still a meticulous groomer. he loves to sit in my lap when it's empty. he loves to lay in the sunshine, too, and can often be found sharing the same sunbeam as barley. he loves toy mice, catnip-filled or otherwise. he tolerates playing with the dogs, however, he sometimes is the instigator. he's sassy, particular, needs a new "meow," and some patience (ha!), but has been a very sweet companion. dave seems to get lost in the blog shuffle, so i thought i would post about him and his upcoming anniversary day a little early, so he isn't forgotten... and who could forget his furry face anyway. (these photos are from today, as he kept creeping up on the camera.)

he looks so mean in these two pictures, but he's so not.

i think this is as close to a cat smile as you can get.

(i think he knew i was posting about him... he is now kneading my lap.)